There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 199 - 193. Legacy

Chapter 199: Chapter 193. Legacy

Bassena was walking to the table, frowning. Why was everything around Zein had to be filled with danger?

But the guide himself didn’t look like he was alerted or anything. As the blue eyes looked at Bassena, they were softening, and it erased the frown on the esper’s face.

"You’re early," the guide said as Bassena arrived at the table and patted the space beside him.

"It’s just a regular talk show," Bassena shrugged. "Just talking about the upcoming association meeting."

"Mm,"

"So what’s this about dangerous?" Bassena asked again, shifting his gaze to Logan.

"Sir Vaski," the man greeted first, unfazed even under the scrutinizing amber eyes. He was the one who took care of Bassena’s legal cases after all, so he was already used to the esper’s temper.

But before answering, he looked at the guide first, who was his client in this matter. Only after Zein nodded in agreement that he gave the rundown to Bassena.

"If Sir Zein just accepts the will as it is, all he needs to do is give his signature as the beneficiary, along with two witnesses from the Kovacs. It can be done quietly behind closed doors," Logan explained. "But if he wants to change the terms of the contract, which is the will, he will need to first come up as the rightful heir of the House Ishtera, which give him the right as the new patriarch."

"And it will leave a bigger trace," Bassena concluded on his own. "Then if someone out there still tracking him, they might find this trace."

Logan nodded in confirmation. Zein realized then that the man knew the exact circumstances of his status and history, either from Radia or the Templar. Well, the man seemed to be trustworthy, so he didn’t really mind.

"It’s not a guarantee, because the record of forgotten old houses and their inheritance is not something that people would normally pay attention to," Logan said. "But a chance is still a chance, and if someone specifically had been watching the registry of Ishtera House, they will notice it."

Zein drummed his fingers on the armrest again, pondering. "Can I just accept it and then give out what I want to without going through all the hassle?"

"If it’s the other stuff, yes," Logan nodded. "But the company’s ownership, the land, and everything built above it is a different story, and aside from the initial inheritance money, the seventeen years of dividend tied up to the clan management."

Zein tilted his head, and Bassena explained it to him. "Because it comes as company’s shares. You can’t gift it away without tax, and the only other way is for them to buy it from you. But you don’t actually want that, right?"

Of course, he didn’t want that. What was the point of giving it away if they had to give their money to him?

"And..." Bassena continued, looking at Zein, and added with a shrug. "I don’t think they’ll ever accept that--you giving away the company, I mean. It’s their only bond to you."

Zein raised his brow, and Bassena just gave him a rueful smile. The guide realized then that Bassena had been through the same dilemma with Seven Ether.

Again, he sighed. Leaning back and crossing his arm, Zein closed his eyes and pondered his choice. What exactly did he want? Zein knew he didn’t want the Templar to operate anymore, he didn’t want them to dedicate their lives to him or the remnant of Ishtera. That was why he couldn’t just let them be, especially the Elder and the middle age man, Senan, whose life seemed to be stuck in the past.

Just like him before.

He thought, by severing his ties completely with them, it would naturally happen. So he wanted to give away all of his ’inheritance’ and ended everything.

But while they weren’t a cult, they worship their loyalty. Telling them to stop the organization wouldn’t be enough. He would need to be in a position where his order was absolute, and that entailed him becoming their master, the head of the House, their patriarch.

To officially take ’Ishtera’ as his name.

When he sunk into that thought, he heard Bassena’s voice. "Is the problem in that it’s dangerous, or that you don’t want to take the identity as Ishtera?"

Zein opened his eyes and turned his head, catching the warmth of the ambers. "Because of it’s because of the danger, I can protect you. I will protect you," Bassena said. "I know I was the one who always in a fuss about you getting into danger, but you were right; rather than hiding, it’s better to just let it out and face them directly."

The amber eyes were blazing quietly, with the determination of one of the strongest men on the continent. "So, another bait," Zein chuckled, reaching out to stroke the esper’s cheek lightly before shifting his gaze to the attorney. "What would happen if I decide to take my right?"

"You will be added to the family registry, with the endorsement of the household’s overseer--in this case, the Elder," Logan looked at the blue eyes to gauge the mood, before continuing. "And after the process is done, you’ll become the head of the family."

Zein felt the end of his lips twitches. The head...more like the only remaining bloodline.

"As the head of the family, you have the right to alter the will set by the previous head, your grandfather."

"How far can I alter it?"

At that, Logan leaned forward and put his hands together. "How far would you like to go?"

* * *

Cohen tapped his shoes restlessly on the ground, fingers fiddling with the railing as he stared into the road leading to his house. He could hear the sound of conversation inside; they bore the same nervousness swirling in his heart. And when a luxurious black car made its way to the corner of the street where he lived, his heartbeat jolted, increasing to the point it reverberated in his ears.

He stepped down the terrace to greet the guest--the most important guest. It would be his second meeting seeing the man with his own eyes, the owner of that blue brilliance. The car stopped in front of the small gate, and Cohen halted his step. Anxiously, he watched the car door open and the figure in a black coat descend.

Ah...his Master. Or who was supposed to be his master.

But he knew the man didn’t like that. It was clear from the last time that he didn’t want to have anything to do with the Templar, or even his paternal legacy. It had broken the Elder’s heart, and he had never seen Old Senan looked that saddened. It wasn’t because they thought the rejection was a betrayal of their loyalty, but because they regretted it so much, their inability to save the man from the miserable fate he had to endure. Alone, deep in the red-zone.

They had thought they would never be able to meet the man again, but then, the attorney that had been meeting with them said he wanted to speak to them.

And it left their clan in chaos.

They knew it would be about the inheritance. After all, that was all the attorney had been contacting them for. The thing was, from the man’s reaction, the biggest possibility would be his rejection of claiming the Ishtera’s name. And in that case, what would happen to them, then? The Templar, their objective?

They longed to meet the man, but dreaded it at the same time.

For some reason though, he decided to have the meeting in Neyta, rather than in Mimera or the green-zone. Which was why it would be held in Cohen’s house.

Cohen took a deep breath and pushed his legs to work, swiftly opening the gate to his small house. He could hear footsteps from inside, probably old Senan who wanted to greet the young master as soon as possible.

He caught the gaze of the blue eyes, and almost blurted out ’Young Master’, but stopped himself in time, because he recalled the man didn’t like that. "Welcome, Sir."

"Thank you," Cohen heard the melodious voice, and blinked in surprise. The tone was gentler than he thought it would be, and it suddenly brought some kind of hope in his heart.

Perhaps...perhaps this wasn’t the end after all.

The blue eyes swept in the direction of the house and waited for the other people to come out of the car; the attorney that had been dealing with them, and of course, the Serpent Lord, Bassena Vaski. The last one who came out was the driver, who also seemed to be the guide’s bodyguard.

"The Elder is waiting inside," Cohen gestured toward the house, and the four people walked inside while he closed the gate.

Just as he thought, old Senan had already stood on the terrace, bowing slightly before opening the door wider. The guide nodded his head, and Cohen could see that old Senan was as surprised as he was. But the stunned face immediately turned brighter, perhaps because the middle-aged man also felt what Cohen thought; this wasn’t the end. Cohen hurriedly followed them inside the house after making sure there was no one curiously watching them.

In the living room, the Elder stood leaning on his cane, waiting eagerly. Cohen’s young cousins, Lisa and Arlo, were standing behind the Elder, ready to help him. For some reason, the young master had requested for someone who was born after the incident to be included in this meeting.

"Young Master," the Elder bowed slightly. Unlike Cohen, the Elder was stubborn. For him, the guide was his young master, the last blood of Ishtera, and nothing the guide said would change that.

Carefully, Cohen observed the guide’s face. The man still wore his mask, perhaps so that he didn’t have to feel like being stared at as if he was his father. But Cohen could still see the blue eyes, and fortunately, they didn’t seem annoyed.

"Please take a seat, Sir," Cohen gestured toward the couch, before going inside to bring out some tea. When he came back to the living room, he saw the guide and the esper sitting together, just like before, while the attorney took another chair and the guard stood by the door as usual.

"We already know what I come here for, so I won’t waste time with useless chatter," the young master said, blue eyes sending out a stern light.

Cohen stopped in his step, tray in his hands. He could see they were all tensing, especially the Elder and old Senan. Even Arlo, who didn’t really care about this business, looked like he held his breath from the other’s anxiety, waiting for the man’s words like a convict waiting for a verdict.

"I want you to completely disband the Templar,"

They froze. Cohen gripped the tray tightly so he wouldn’t drop it. They knew this was coming, but hearing it being said again was still shocking.

Disbanding the Templar; the place he had been identifying himself with, dedicating his life for. It wasn’t something that could be accepted easily, especially by the Elder and old Senan, who had spent their whole life on it.

But before any of them could sound an argument, the guide had added. "If you do so, I will register myself as Ishtera."

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